Brisbane South Girls and Infants School facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Brisbane South Girls and Infants School
Brisbane State High School, Block H, 1994
Location	112 Merivale Street, South Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Design period	1840s–1860s (mid-19th century)
Built	1864–1932
Queensland Heritage Register
Official name: Brisbane State High School, Block H, Brisbane South Girls and Infants School, Brisbane South Intermediate School, South Brisbane Primary School
Type	state heritage (built)
Designated	31 October 1994
Reference no.	601222
Significant period	1860s (historical) 1930s (historical) 1860s–1930s (fabric school) 1910s (fabric teachers' rooms)
Significant components	school/school room, staffroom/s / teachers' room/s / teachers' retiring room/s
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The Brisbane South Girls and Infants School is a very old school building in South Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was built between 1864 and 1932. This building is now known as Block H of Brisbane State High School. It has also been called Brisbane South Intermediate School and South Brisbane Primary School. Because of its history, it was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 31 October 1994.

The School's Early Days

Brisbane State High School's Block H is one of the oldest government school buildings in Queensland. The main part of the building was first built in 1864. It was originally called the South Brisbane Primary School. Later, important parts were added in 1877 and 1932.

This building shows how public education started in Queensland. It was built under a new law called the Education Act of 1860. This law created a system where the government helped pay for primary schools. Communities had to pay one-third of the building cost.

It was hard for communities to raise this money at first. Only a few schools were built between 1861 and 1863. In 1864, the rules became a bit easier, and more schools were built. The South Brisbane Primary School was one of these.

Building the First School

People started wanting a school in South Brisbane in 1860. In 1861, the Queensland Government gave land for the school. It took some time to collect money from the community. In April 1863, a temporary school opened in a crowded building on Stanley Street.

The government approved the new school in February 1863. They hired an architect named Charles Porter to design it. He designed other schools too, like the one in Ipswich. The plan for the South Brisbane school might have been similar to the Ipswich one.

Construction began in August 1864. A builder named Charles Beauchamp won the contract. The building cost about £1050. It was finished in time for students to start on 23 January 1865. Another architect, Benjamin Backhouse, helped supervise the building work.

What the First Building Looked Like

The first school building was made of brick and had two floors. It was designed for 300 students. The ground floor was for boys, and the top floor was for girls and infants. The roof was made of wooden shingles.

It had porches and balconies facing Merivale Street. The stairs and coat rooms were at the back. The building looked simple and strong, ready for many years of learning.

Growing with the City

By the 1870s, South Brisbane was growing fast. More people meant more students, and the school became crowded. In 1874, a balcony was added to the back of the school for the girls and infants.

In 1877, bigger additions were made. A new two-storey brick section was built at the back. This added two new classrooms, each about 30 by 20 feet. This helped make more space for the growing number of students.

Changes and New Schools

South Brisbane continued to grow in the 1880s. The school playground, which was often wet, was filled and leveled. In 1888, the old shingle roof was replaced with corrugated iron.

The school became very crowded by the late 1880s. The Department of Public Instruction decided to split the school. A new building was put up across Merivale Street. This became the Brisbane South Boys School. The original building then became the Brisbane South Girls & Infants School.

Later Additions and Changes

Not many changes happened to the Girls & Infants School for about 30 years. Around 1914, a small wooden room was built for staff to rest in. Another similar room was added around 1917. These small buildings have since been moved to a different spot. New windows were put into the back wing in 1927.

By the late 1920s, South Brisbane was changing. Many families moved to newer suburbs. This meant fewer students at both South Brisbane schools.

Becoming an Intermediate School

In 1928, the Department of Public Instruction decided to change the Girls & Infants School into an Intermediate School. On 31 December 1928, both South Brisbane schools closed. The next day, the old Boys School reopened as the combined Brisbane South State School.

The former Girls & Infants School building was updated. Its outside walls were covered, rooms were divided, and the front porch was removed. In August 1929, it reopened as Brisbane South Intermediate School. In 1930, plans were made to make the main part of the building almost twice as big. This work was finished in 1932.

What Was an Intermediate School?

Intermediate schools were a new idea in Queensland after 1928. They had special rooms like workshops and science labs. These schools were for children aged 12–13. They offered a two-year course to help students move from primary to secondary education.

Building new schools just for a two-year course was expensive. So, in the 1940s and 1950s, this idea changed. High schools started offering different courses instead. Brisbane South Intermediate School closed on 31 December 1953.

Final Years as a Primary School

In the late 1940s, the Brisbane South State Primary School building (the one built in 1888) was getting old. It was decided to move the primary school. In August 1954, Brisbane South State School moved back into the building that had been the Girls & Infants School and then the Intermediate School.

At this time, Brisbane State High School was using some rooms on the top floor. They were expected to move out in 1955. Student numbers kept going down. Brisbane South Primary School finally closed for good on 31 December 1963, after more than 100 years.

The school building then became part of Brisbane State High School. It was used for classes like domestic science (home economics) and manual training (woodwork, metalwork). In 1989, the building was updated and became the High School's Junior School. More work was done in 1991. Today, the old primary school building and the teachers' rooms are still part of the high school campus.

What the Building Looks Like Now

Brisbane State High School, Block H, is a two-storey brick building. Its outside walls are covered, and it has steep, corrugated iron roofs. It is part of a group of school buildings. There are also two small wooden buildings nearby, which used to be the teachers' resting rooms.

The main school building was built in three main parts. The front part (facing north-east) was built in 1864 and extended in 1932. A smaller section sticks out to the back (south-west) and was built in 1877. The main building has long wooden verandahs on both sides.

The front of the building has decorative window frames and corner stones. Large carved supports hold up the verandah. The ground floor entrance has wooden panels. The verandah has a wooden railing and square wooden posts. The back of the main building has wooden siding. The building has large windows and French doors that open onto the verandahs.

The 1877 section also has similar verandahs, windows, and doors. The top floor has a row of large windows facing south-east. The main building has five classrooms on each floor. The ground floor classrooms have wooden ceilings and can be separated by folding wooden walls. The top floor classrooms have wooden floors and ceilings with sloped sides.

The teachers' resting rooms are now separate from the main building. They are about 20 meters south, near Cordelia Street. These are single-room wooden buildings with corrugated iron roofs. They sit on painted concrete stumps. They have central wooden doors with stairs and windows with sun hoods. Inside, they have wooden walls and ceilings.

Why This Place is Important

The former Brisbane South Girls and Infants School, now Block H of Brisbane State High School, is important for several reasons. It was listed on the Queensland Heritage Register on 31 October 1994.

Showing Queensland's History

This building is one of the oldest government school buildings in Queensland. It shows how public education started in Queensland after it became a separate colony in 1859. The additions in 1877 and the splitting of the schools in 1888 also show how South Brisbane grew over time.

A Rare Example

It is rare to find a two-storey brick school building from the 1860s that still looks much like it did. It has had several additions, but its main shape and details are still clear.

Showing School Design Changes

The changes and additions made between 1929 and 1932 are important. They show how the Intermediate School system was tried out by the Queensland Department of Public Instruction during those years.

Beautiful Design

The teachers' resting rooms from the 1910s are also important. They are small, simple buildings but are very well designed.